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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28716735">Because I love you.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project_Phoenix/pseuds/Project_Phoenix'>Project_Phoenix</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Self-Harm, religious trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:42:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28716735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project_Phoenix/pseuds/Project_Phoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Terik… why would you of this to yourself?”</p><p>terik brought their deep blue eyes up to meet his.</p><p>“Because I love you,”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Councillor Bronte/Councillor Terik</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Because I love you.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bronte sucked in a breath as he approached the castle of his fellow council member. Terik had been acting very strange lately. He noticed they barely ate. They were always avoiding him. They couldn’t even look him in the eyes most of the time. It was starting to worry not just him but the other council members as well.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As he knocked on the door he heard a loud thud followed by silence. In a panic he tried to get the door open with no success. his thoughts were racing</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>‘what if they're hurt?’</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>‘what if something happened?’</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>‘Are they ok?”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After an agonizingly long 5 minutes the door slowly opened to reveal terik, cuts covering their arms and deep bruises on their skin, their eyes trained on the ground</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bronte stared in horror for a moment before softly saying “Terik… why would you of this to yourself?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">terik brought their deep blue eyes up to meet his.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Because I love you,” They whispered softly before turning his gaze back to the ground</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bronte stared at the cuts on teriks arms. Some of then were fresh and dripping with deep read blood but a majority of them looked older. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>‘How long have they been doing this?’ </em>Bronte thought, slowly reaching out and taking their arm, pulling him towards the table.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Terik didn't fight it, allowing Bronte to sit them down, never bringing his gaze off the ground.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you have any medicine or bandages?” Bronte asked observing the cuts on the younger elf’s arms.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He had decided to address the whole love thing at a later time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tarik gave him a slow nod before reaching into their pocket and handing him a key. Bronte had been in terik’s castle enough to know exactly where the locked medicine cabinet was located. Too many drunken nights had been spent here. Much more then the ancient elf would have liked to admit. After a few minutes he returned to Terik, who had began picking at the scabs that began to form.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Stop that your going to make it bleed more.” Bronte scolded gently </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Terik jumped a bit before nodding. Bronte let out a sigh before taking teriks arm, pouring a disinfectant on the wound, causing them to let out a hiss of pain.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry.” Bronte mumbled beginning to wrap hid arms in bandage.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">One cut in particular caught his eye. He slowed to a stop with wrapping it and stared at it for a moment. The cut was in the shape of a cross. Now that he looked closer most of the cuts looked like crosses. He looked up at terik questioningly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My parents did then when I came out….” Came teriks whispered response</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“God terik.” he breathed</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He already knew to an extent how their parents were due to a drunken rant, but carving crosses into their own child because he came out to them was worse then anything bronte expected. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he went back to the bandaging.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s not wrong you know.” Bronte whispered gently when he was done</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes it is-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No it’s not Terik. Just because your parents told you that doesn’t mean it’s true. Nothing is wrong with you. Your perfect exactly how you are.” He said cutting them off and cupping their face in his hands</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And how would you know that?” They asked.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bronte didn’t know what came over him and before he knew it his lips met teriks, closing the gap between them. The ancient felt a wave of relief wash over him as he felt terik kiss him back. They stayed like that for a moment before terik pulled away slightly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why did you-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Because I love you too terik."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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